Sorry about the late post. I wrote this last night, as my Sunday resulted in today’s topic.

Yesterday (Sunday) I was talking to a friend about why she gave up her favourite sport.
She was ridiculously good at it and had the potential to go very far in the sport, but most importantly, she thoroughly enjoyed it.

When she told me why she stopped all of a sudden, I was shocked but I could relate. I think many of us can.

Her dad told her that it would be very unlikely to be able to make a career out of her sport or ever compete in the Olympics. I assume this was to protect her from feeling disappointed and hurt if she never reached her goal.

Every time she would say her dream out loud, she was told not to get her hopes up because thousands of people want the same dream; therefore her dream was “unrealistic”.

As a result of being constantly told her dream was unrealistic or that she wasn’t good enough, she started to believe it.

Every time she would think of her goal, she got into the habit of telling herself she wasn’t good enough and that she was stupid to even think of it.

Self hate began and in no time she quit the one thing she loved and formed an eating disorder and depression.

It doesn’t surprise me, but it will always amaze me how words can create such a powerful effect on people’s lives and wellbeing.

Negative words are always louder than positive words, and when coming from someone you love and respect, nothing could be louder.

Perhaps her dad believed he was doing the right thing by trying to protect her from rejection if she never reached her goal.

Forty+ years ago opportunities to fulfil your dreams weren’t impossible but they didn’t have the resources that we have today, so maybe he was saying what he was always told.

One thing he didn’t know was that by saying these comments and by not believing and encouraging her to fulfil her dreams, this caused her a great amount of damage.

After a lot of ground work and having to remove the negative people out of her life, she just started to take up the sport again.

I could not be more proud of her. She is such a strong person physically and mentally.

What I realised is that it is so damn important to never call any goal unrealistic.

We have so many resources these days to be able to do anything we desire if we are willing to put in the hard work and dedication.

Always encourage and support others’ dreams but most importantly believe in your own dreams.

A child or friend may change their mind on their dream job every week, and instead of rolling your eyes or saying it’s very unlikely to get that job, encourage them so they can be the best they can be.

Each year I write a list of all of the new experiences I’ve had throughout the year.

It shows how far I have come and also how much I have learnt throughout the year. It’s a great exercise to do for keeping motivated and inspired.

I also find that if I write a negative experience that I’ve had on my list, I begin to view it from a different angle. I now see it as an experience that I have learnt from rather than just a kick in the guts.

I usually do this at the end of each year, but I thought I would start it now and also list some of the things I still want to experience before the year ends.

Looking over my list, I feel quite proud of myself (I’ve also learnt to allow myself to feel proud!)

I have changed my lifestyle, fell in love with green smoothies, saw chia seeds swell before my eyes and spoke to a group of professionals, to give them an insight into living with an eating disorder so they can then help others.

I learnt how to say no and to put my health first.

I have gained a variety of knowledge about the environment, alternative health and the connection between your food and your mind.

My experience list for 2012 is currently 3 pages long. No experience is too small or is less important than the others. I find the little experiences can often count the most. For example, people may think that trying a green smoothie isn’t a big deal, but it has changed my life. I simply cannot go a day without one! (Salivating just by mentioning them)

Here is a picture of the start of my list below:

Some of the things I still want to experience are:

Trying more foods for the first time (Including brussel sprouts)

Trying different types of yoga

Writing a guest post on someone’s blog

Having a guest on my blog

Growing a herb garden

In my first post I explained that my chosen word for the year is “authentic “and this is the year that I would work on being my authentic self.

Most of my experiences this year have felt very authentic to me. I have experienced a spiritual connection with myself and a better understanding on spirituality.

I have a better relationship with my body and now listen and attend to its needs – a sense of respect that I now feel towards myself.

My authentic self may not be doing boozy Sunday sessions, but she is sitting in the warm with The China Study in one hand, green smoothie in the other while surrounded by the people she loves most. And that is would what makes her healthy, happy and serene.

I have noticed that the only vegan Asian dish I have cooked is sushi. That’s it!
Sad I know, but that is all about to change.

Other than the basic stir-fry, I’m not very familar with vegan Asian meals.

The reason I haven’t cooked many Asian meals is because of the pressure I once put on myself. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and not having the experience with certain techniques and exotic ingredients, I haven’t been confident enough to try making them.

There are many flavoursome salads and cooked meals waiting for me to make, and practice makes perfect so I am going to start veganising popular Asian favourites.

I created this recipe that was inspired from san choy bow.
I used ingredients that I already on hand and would be somewhat similar to the recipe I once used before I was vegan.

I tweaked this dish from the first time I made it and now it’s spot on!

The flavours complement each other beautifully and it only took me 20 mins to make.

This is a perfect entree or as it turned out for me, a main meal. I couldn’t stop at two cups so I had 5 cups for dinner.

Addictive – you have been warned.

Ingredients

( Roughly makes 10 cups – serves 2-3 )

150g organic tempeh

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1/3 red capsicum

5 bok choy stalks

Cos lettuce leaves

2 Tbsp low sodium tamari sauce

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/8 Tsp grated ginger

Directions

Peel mushrooms and wash all vegetables

Finely cut mushrooms, capsicum and tempeh in small cubes roughly the same size

Finely slice bok choy horizontally

Place all sliced vegetables and tempeh into a mixing bowl

Mix tamari, balsamic vinegar and ginger in a small cup and poor over the vegetables and tempeh

Transfer mixture into a non stick fry pan and cook until mushrooms and bok choy and soft

For a while now I have noticed that keeping busy seems like a competition.

I am constantly hearing people saying how busy they are with work, their kids, social events, study, and correspondence. The list goes on.

Everyone seems to be trying to be superwoman or superman and if you had any time to think what you want to do for the day, your life would sound boring to others or you would feel a hint of guilt by having time to yourself.

Recently an ex (randomly) messaged me asking what I am up to. Although I have well and truly moved on from our relationship , I didn’t want to tell him that it was 11am on Saturday morning and I was still in my flannelette PJ’s. I was reading a book with the intention of doing nothing other than possibly getting dressed by 2pm. The chances of that happening before 2pm were pretty slim.

I replied by saying that I was just rushing to the gym. And after that I had work to do before catching up with a friend.

I felt guilty by sending that text so I thought I’d better live up to my word. Okay, so I didn’t exactly rush to the gym. It was more like going 4 km per hour and my work was replying to emails and keeping up to date with unread blog posts. Catching up with friends meant spending quality time with my dog while drinking hot cacao.

In my defense, it was not my fault by sending a text that wasn’t exactly spot on. I’m a busy woman after all.

He replied but saying a similar thing, but sounding a little busier than I was. He probably had a friend that could talk back to him. He also didn’t need a gym membership with all the running around from one task to another on his calendar. Then again he could have been just lying about being busy (Jerk).

That night, I was pretty satisfied with the day I had, though I would have also been just as satisfied by having a day to finally relax and read in my sexy flanno’s.

Since I have started my wellness journey I still haven’t had a full day where I can stay in my PJ’s and just have some down time.

I have forgotten how to do one thing at a time. I can’t remember the last time I watched TV without doing something else. I can’t sit down and watch a movie without having my Ipad to research a topic or talk on the phone without cleaning my room, writing an email or painting my nails.

Since when did we forget how to relax?

Since when have we become masters of multi-multitasking?

And since when did running around doing 30 things in one day become inspirational?

I remember feeling annoyed many times over some men not being able to do two things at once.

How can they not listen whilst writing a report or sending a text?

How can they not cook a vegetable lasagna while watching the Olympics and talk at the same time?

Even though it will never made sense to me as to why some men can’t seem to get the hang of multitasking, it makes a perfect sense as to why some men don’t multitask.

By having too many things going on at once, creates an overwhelming mess in our heads.

We aren’t living a life that serves us and makes us the best we can be. Instead we become overwhelmed with commitments that leave us stressed, angry and leaves our bodies toxic.

From being in the beauty industry, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard women feel guilty by having a facial or even having someone wax their brows.

They explain everything that they should be doing instead of being at the salon. By the time are out the door, they haven’t had a chance to relax and enjoy their well deserved break because they feel guilty to be there in the first place!

Is this how we want to live our lives? Is this how we want the next generation of children to live their lives?

I know I want to have a clear mind to do a job correctly.

I want to have a healthy mind, free of guilt and chaos.

I want to enjoy every moment I have with my loved ones, and I also want to treat my body and mind with respect through nourishing it with healthy foods and having down time to relax and revive.

I am now going to be mindful of what I am doing. I will focus and enjoy doing one thing at a time and allow myself to read in my PJ’s at 11am without feeling guilty.

I encourage you to do the same this week.

Start by prioritizing at least 30 minutes into your week to have some down time. Sit and talk on the phone without being on the computer and even having one internet tab on at a time.

This is one commitment that will serve and benefit your mind, body and life.

Do you currently allocate time to relax each week or better yet each day?

It felt unnatural, traumatic and impossible for me not have any chickpeas in the house, but it’s true.

I imagine most vegans feel the same way. Chickpeas are a delicious staple in vegan diet and are extremely versatile.

In a way, I’m glad I ran out of them because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have made this wickedly creamy “hummus”.

I started to look for recipes online but most comments on red lentil hummus were “bland” or “I prefer the original” so I decided to make my own recipe. The most popular comments of all were in regard to calling it a hummus.

Traditional hummus is made from chickpeas, ground sesame seeds, lemon and olive oil. The majority of people know this.

Although substituting red lentils for chickpeas doesn’t technically classify it as a hummus, I still refer to this recipe as a “hummus” because it automatically informs people of the basic ingredients used in the dip.

The reaction towards the naming issue amazed me. I understand that people love their hummus; I too think extremely highly of the chickpea but for it to cause an issue other than having none left, took me by surprise.

I searched for other similar comments towards food substitutes such as, banana nice-cream and cauliflower “rice” but no one questioned their name. Just the hummus.

I think the lesson here is to never underestimate the passion one has for hummus, and secondly if you substitute chickpeas for another bean or lentil always use inverted comers when calling it a hummus. When saying it out loud perhaps curl to figures in the air (like Doctor Evil in Austin Powers) to save you from this dilemma. Or better still just say this thing is freaking awesome; because it is.

Ingredients

½ cup red lentils (uncooked)

1 small sweet potato (or half a large)

3Tb tahini

1 garlic clove

¼ cup lemon juice

Pinch of salt (I used Pink Himalayan)

Directions

Soak lentils for 6-8 hours.

Rinse the split peas and transfer into a saucepan with the chopped sweet potato and boil for 15-20 mins.

Once cooked, drain and give it a quick rinse with cold water.

While the split peas and potato are still warm transfer them into the food processor and give it a quick mix. It’s important to do this while they are warm because this how you get a creamy consistency.

Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it is completely mixed through.
You may need to add some water or olive oil if you want a thinner consistency.

Store in an air tight container for 4-5 days.

This “hummus” (please note the inverted comers used) is anything but bland. I also found that using red split peas made it creamier and smoother.

Meet The Author

Hi, I'm Lisa. Welcome to my wellness blog! I'm a plant based vegan, wellness warrior and green smoothie addict. I have done a 180 on my life to find my serenity and to take control of my health and well being. Join me on my journey of creating a happier and healthier life naturally.
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